Electronic Commerce and the Symbiotic Relationship between International and Domestic Law Reform

Abstract

This article delves into the relationship between international and domestic law reform efforts in the area of electronic commerce. The thesis of the article is that, for many reasons including the nature of technology itself, the process of law reform is becoming very symbiotic, with international and domestic efforts feeding into (and off) one another. It examines several law reform efforts. On the international level, the article examines the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce, as well as its newer work on digital signatures. On the domestic level, the article explores the amendments to the UCC (revisions to Article 2 and the new proposed Article 2B), the new Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and state legislation in the area of digital and electronic signatures. While not the focus of the article (which appeared in a symposium on the relationship between international sales law and US sales law), developments in other countries are discussed as well.